Tie-laying machine



' Jan. 30, 1923. 1,443,351

W. B. CROSSING. TIE LAYING MACHINE. FILED SEPT. 14, 1922. 3 SHEETS'SHEETI Mf/fcmz B. Cr ossm per/719 ne I Jam, 30, 1923.

W. Bv CROSSING TIE LAYING MACHINE. FILED SEPT.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 50 7 verse braces 17, longitudinal braces 8 extend-Patented Jan. 30, 1923.

E s rts PAT N'ror F cn.

Y WILLIAM B. onossrne, or wrnnrrne, MANITOBA, CANADA.

TIE-LAYING ACHINE.

Application filed September 14, 1922. Serial No. 588,280.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that '1, WILLIAM B Cnoss' I IN of thecity of Winnipeg,Province of Manitoba, Dominion of Canada, a subject of the Kingof GreatBritain, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tie-LayingMachines; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear,and exact description thereof.

My invention relates particularly to machines for laying ties in theconstruction of railway tracks and has for its object to provide amachine of this type which may be operated fifty feet in advance of thetrack layer; and which whenin motion will constantly and uniformlydepositthe'ties upon i The accompanying preferred embodiment of myinventioin This embodiment consists of a machine .the road bed with moreprecision than has been obtainable with machines of this type in use inthe past.

A further object of this invention is to produce a machine of simplifiedconstruction and comparatively low cost and one which may be operatedwith equal facility rounding curves whether travelling in a straightline or rounding a curve.

For full comprehension, however, of my invention, reference must be hadto the accompanying drawings inwhich similar reference charactersindicate the same parts, and wherein: V

1 Figurel, is a plan view of a tie laying 'machine constructed accordingto my invention';

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View taken on line 2 -2 Figure 3;.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the maformly spaced -d1scs 4-1wh1chareadapted chine; and

Figure 4 is. a fragmentary side elevation ofthe transverse tram anddeflector which cooperates therewith. drawings illustrate the adapted tobe propelled in advance of the track layer (not shown) through themedium of thrust beams extending from the head end of the pioneer car tothe rear end of the 1ayer.- This tielaying machine comprises a'chassis 2consisting-of side sills 3 and .4, rear end'sill ,5, front end sill 6,transing between the sill 6 and the cross brace '7 immediately adjacent,and a circular track 9 of channel cross-section positioned within thespace bounded by the braces 8, front end sill 6 and the cross brace/7nearestthereto.

' The-.transversetram 15 The rear end of the chassis is'braced by diaonal stays l0 and 12.-

his chassis issupported by rear wheels 1 25 positioned exteriorly of thechassis upon an axle 26 and the front wheels 27 mounted smallerdiameter, than the rear wheels and encircled by the track. A steeringmechanism is provided for thesefront wheels to the left or to the right,and include a steer-- ing wheel 30 mountedon the upper end of. thevertical steering post 31'the lower end of which is operativelyconnected to'the axle. Supported upon the chassis are the tie feedingtrams, one longitudinally disposed and indicated at 14 and the othertransversely disposed and indicatedat 15E The supporting structurecomprises uprights 16 supporting at their upper'ends a rectangular frame17 which is braced by transverse members 18 and diagonal-stays 19.

The longitudinaltram 14: is located at one side of the machineandfcomprises a pair of parallel longitudinal members 20 and21 p0sitioned edge up upon the braces 8and secured thereon by brackets or Ubolts 22am] transversely braced as at 23. These-mem bers are spacedapart just sufficiently to ac-' commodate the widthof the tie and carry.between them a series of transversely dis' posed rollers 40. Each ofthese rollerscorm prises a stub shaft having its end journalled in themembers, 14 and extending therebetween and carrying a plurality ofuniscribed, the discs of one roller being in stag-' gered-irelation withthose ofthe adjacent rollers. These rollers are drivenin unison in aclockwise direction by asprocket chain 43 encirclingv a sprocket wheel4A on an extension of each-of the stub shafts 40, the

shaft a0 nearestthe .frontv of the machine bein extended outwardlyrelatively to the mac ine'frame and'carrying a bevel gear 45 which isinintermeshing relation with a similar gear 46/keyed upon an elongatedshaft 47 journalledlin brackets 48. "This shaft may be driven by anengine, mounted upon the, tie layer or by the same power means whichisemployed for feeding the ties onto the tie layer. r j I is positioned atthe ing the tie around to position transversely" to the direction oftravel of themaohine. The transverse tram conslsts of a plurality ofrollers 50 of simila-rconstruction to those constituting thelongitudinal tram, the stub sha'ftsiil of the rollers being journalledinbearings 52 mounted upon atransverse member 53. These rollers areadapted to be drivenrinf unison by a sprocket chain 5% encirclingsprocket wheel's 55'upon the roller 0 stub. shafts and they, are driven.by the same means as thatemployed for driving the lon= gitudinal tram, a'sproclr/t wheel 56. being keyed: upon the adjacent end of the shaft-.8

and: rotatably connected to a similar sprocket.

59 upon the roller stub shaft 'furthestfrom the shaftS through asprocket chain 60. 7

In order to facilitate the swinging of each tie fromlongitudinalto'transverse positions and to, cause the discharge ofeach tie into themagazine after it reaches a predetermined point in its travel upon thetransverse tram a curveddeflector plate 70is mounted in: positionextending from the outer side of the fronte'ndof the. longitudinal tramto a point at the opposite side of the machine,

This plate is of greater length than width and horizontally disposedwith its side edge up, and it'is braced by uprig-hts 71..

. pluralityof transversely positioned'ties consists of'an inclined floor73 extending from side to side of'the machine frame and from a pointbeneath the transverse train downward ly to a point substantially midwaythe length of the machine in'planrview and it is provided with ends 74for preventing endwise displacement of the't-ies when in. position Ithereon. j

A rotary distributor extends across the machlne frame in juxtapositionwith the lower-end of the magazine and is constructed and arranged tosuccessively pick up the ties in'the magazine and distribute them alongthe -road'g bed at predetermined" intervals. ends-of which are journalled in bearings 81 and; 82v supported upon the chassis and discs I831 and 84: lreyled upon the shaft-within the chassis and adjacent theside sills of the lattern-(Each. of these-discs carries a plurality ofuniformly spaced radial 'fingers" 85 wh1ch,,.during the' rotarymovements'of'the shaft engage the underside of the lowermost tie in; themagazine ateaeh'end, this being peianitted as the "extreme lower end ofthe magazineisextendedbetween the discs as at 861 and provided with anabutment 87 so that when-.the-lowermosttie is in position bearingagainst this abutment its ends project beyond the endsof the' extensionin the patho-f the The magazine whichis adapted to carry a Thisdistributor consists of a; shaftSO the.

fingers 85. The ties are selected singly by the fingers and carriedaround therewith as the distributor is rotated. In order to prevent eachtie beeorning displaced from the distributor before it reaches the pointof travel at which it is to be deposited upon the road bed a retainingplate 90 is mounted in juxtaposition with the distributorat its rearside and extends completely across the chassis. This plate is carried byarms 91 secured to one of the cross braces and its lower end. iscurvedbeneath the distributor as at 92 thereby preventing the ties'leaving thedis-" *tributor until they are substantially beneath the same. i

This distributor isdriven by the rear axle and is operatively connectedthereto through a spur gear 95 mounted on extension of the shaft 80 andi-ntermeshing with a second spur gear 96 mounted upon a stud 97 journalled in bearings 98. A sprocket'wheel 99 islreyed upon this shaft andis rotatably connected to a sprocket wheel 100 on the axle QGthrough asprocket chain 101. As the tie layer is propelled along. the roadbed thesprocket Wheels 100 and 99 and the spur. gear 96 are rotated in aclockwise directionwhile the gear 95 and consequently the dis-. tributorare rotated in a counter clockwise direction, and the drive is so, timedthat the ties when deposited upon the road bed will be spaced aparttherequired distance so that further positioning of the ties isunnecessary, the railsbeing positioned thereon in the po-- sitions whichthey assumed when deposited. 100

lVh'at I claim is as follows 2 1. In a tie laying machine alongitudinally disposed tram; a second tram located in position adjacentthe forward end of the :first,

nentioned tram and disposed perpendicu larly thereto, and a deflectoradapted to coact with said trams in causing a tie moving in an endwisedirection along the longitudinal tram to assume a transverse positionrelatively tothe directionof travel" of the machine as such tie is fedto the transverse tram, said deflector consisting of a curved platemounted edge up upon the framein juxtaposition with the second tram. 1"

'2. In a tie laying machine the combination with a tie magazine, of arotary distributor constructed and arranged to consecutively take tiesfrom the said magazine.

a 3.. In ati'e laying machine the combination with a tie magazine, arotary distributor; constructed and arranged to select ties from thesaid magazine; and means for feeding ties'to the magazine, said meansincluding a longitudinally disposedtram and a trans: versely disposedtram locatedadjacent the forward end'of the longitudinal tram and injuxtaposition'with the magazine, and fixedmeans coacting with the tramsfor di'scharg ingthe tiestherefrom to the magazine.

a. Ina tie laying machine the combination" azine; a rotary distributorwith an inclined magaczine a rotary distributor located at the lower endof the magazine and adapted-to select ties therefrom and discharge thesame upon the road bed; means or rotating said distributor and means forfeeding ties to the magazine.

5. In a tie laying machine the combination with the frame thereof andmeans for supporting the latter including a rear axle and rearsupporting wheels; of an inclined maglocated at the lower end of themagazine and adapted to select tiestherefrom and distribute the sameupon the road bed; said distributor consisting of a shaft transverselyjournalled in the said frame and having a plurality of uniformly spacedradial projections adjacent each end; means for driving saiddistributor; and means for feeding ties to the magazine.

6. In a tie laying machine the combination with the frame thereof;including a circular track; means for supporting the same consisting ofa rear axle extending across the rear end of the frame; rear wheels ofcomparatively large diameter mounted upon the extreme ends of said axleand exteriorly of the frame; a front axle diametrically disposed withinsaid circular trackrollers upon the extreme ends of said axle andadapted to revolve upon the track, and a pair of front wheels mountedupon said axle in position encircled by the track, and steeringmechanism operatively connected to said front axle; a tie magazine, arotary distributor adapted to select ties from the magazine anddistribute them upon the road bed and means for feeding ties to themagazine.

7. In a tie laying machine the combination with a tie magazine; a rotarydistributor constructed and arranged to select ties from the magazineand deposit them at intervals upon the road bed and means for preventingdisplacement of the ties from the distributor during travel around thesame and means for driving said distributor.

8. In a tie laying machine the combination with a tie magazine; a rotarydistributor constructed and arranged to select ties from the magazineand deposit them at intervals upon the road bed and meansfor preventingdisplacement of the ties from the distributor during travel around thesame, said means consisting of a plate disposed parallel to thedistributor and extending slightly beneath the same.

9. In tie laying machine the combination with a magazine consisting ofan inclined floor having an extension at its lower end carrying anabutment against which the lowermost tie in the magazine is adapted tobear; arotary distributor including tie selecting members located atopposite ends of the extension and adapted to resting thereon and meansfor rotating said distributor.

10. In a tie laying machine the combination with a magazine consistingof an7inclined floor having an extension at its lower end carrying anabutment against which the lowermost tie in the magazine is adapted tobear; rotary distributor including tie selectingmembers located atopposite en the extension and adapted to pick up a tie resting thereonand means for rotating said distributor and means for preventingdisplacement of each tie from the distributor during travel aroundvthesame.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM B. onossrne.

Witnesses COLIN E. BAKER; CHAS. NOPELL.

pick up a tie ds of'

